Spindle-bearing



F. L. CONE.

SPINDLE BEARING. APPLlCATiON FILED FEB. 9, I918.

Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

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I UNITED STATES PATENT ouron -Amt cons, or wmnson, VE e I Application filed February 9, 1918. Serial No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK L. CONE, a citizen. of the United States, residing at Windsor, in the county of Windsor and State of Vermont, have invented new and useful Improvements in Spindle-Bearings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to automatic screw machines, and more particularly to the turret and work-carrying spindles which are mounted to rotate therein; and it has for its object to vprovide certain improvements in the construction and arrangement of the.

spindles and their bearings, and to the arran ement and location thereof in respect of t e turret and the bearing in which the turret is mounted to have an intermittent or step -by-step rotation.

Figure 1 of the drawings, which illustrate a one embodiment of the invention, represents a longitudinal section (on a plane indicated by the dotted line 11, Fig, 3) through the turret and shows one spindle in section and another in side 'elevatlon. For simplicity of illustration, one of the spindles which would be seen is omitted in this figure.

Fig. 2 shows in perspective the casting which constitutes the turret.

Fig. 3 represents a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 illustrates one of the taper bushig. 5 illustrates one of the clamps.

The instrumentality embodying the present invention may constitute a component part of an automatic screw machine which is completely illustrated and described in my Letters Patent No. 1,271,540, dated July 9, 1918, to which reference may be had for a description of the bed and the turret bearing in which the turret is journ'aled, and of the mechanism by which'the turret is indexed and locked, since such features constitute no essential part of the present invention.

The turret, which is illustrated in detail in Fig. 2, is of the barrel type and is mounted to rotate upon a horizontal axis in bearing frames which are rigidly fixed to the bed of the machine. The turret consists of two end disks 5, 6, which are integral with a plurality of longitudinal bars 7, 7, which are sector-shaped, as shown in-Fig. 3. Extending axially outwardly from the end disks there are two diametrically reduced journals 8 9, the former being cylindrical and the latter being tapered or .frusto-conical;

Specification 01 Letters Patent.

flare inwardly;

is engaged internal Patented Oct. 28, 1919. 216,829.

and projecting inwardly from said disks there are the peripheral flanges 10 and 11.'

At 12, 13, there are indicated two solid or fixed frames in which the turret is mounted to rotate. Preferably, the frame 12, while rigidly bolted upon the bed' of the machine, 1s capable of removal therefrom to permit the withdrawal of the turret rearwardl and axially from the frame 13, the latter ein preferably, a solid heavy casting. The

ripheral portlons of the end disks 5 and and the sector-shaped longitudinal bars 7.

project radially for some distance beyond the reducedends 8 and 9, and overlap the inner walls of the frames 12 and 13. The two end disks are apertured to provide bearings for the reception of four work spindles, of which but two are shown (for the sake of simplicity) and are indicated at 14, 14. These apertures, which are indicated at 15, 0 that is, they taper in opposite directions toward the end faces of the turret, there being annular flanges 16 which extend'inwardly from the end disks 5 and 6 and constitute prolongations or extensions of the bearings. Introduced into each of the 'frusto-conical bearings or apertures thus lubricant within the bearing. Each bushing is split longitudinally between the ribs 19, and theflanges are notched, so that the bear- 1ng may be easlly contracted about its axis.

Said bushing is adjustable longitudinally to compensate for wear. For this the larger end of each bushing wardly beyond the extension flange 16 an externally threa purpose, pro ects inbearing (including the and is provided with ed flange 20, with which threads on the outer end of a sleeve 21, said tangular in cross-section or provided with lugs or projections 22 to facilitate its rotation. Each sleeve is provided with a circumferential rib or flange 23- with which may be engaged a clamp 24 secured by bolts or screws, not shown, to the adjacent end of the turret. These clamps may be s ental in form and they hold the sleeves tightly against the ends of the spindle bearings while permitting said to adjust the bushings longitudinally. Each bushing is held against rotation by a pin 25 passed through an associated annular exsleeve being either -recsleeves to be rotated tension flange 16 of the spindle bearing and having its end engaged with a slot 27 formed in one of the ribs 18 of the bushing, as shown in section in Fig. 1. By virtue of the construction as thus described, it is apparent that, by rotating a sleeve 21, the associated bushing may be adjusted outwardly to compensate for wear, the bushing being easily contracted as it is forced farther into the frusto-conlcal aperture in which itis located.

hollow bar, which, except for the head 28, is cylindrical from end to end, without 35 which secures the gear. 34 thereto, and

that, with the removal of the spindle, the gear 34 becomes detached. Then, upon re-' moving the bolts by which the clamp 24 is secured, the associated bushing may be easily wlthdrawn from the spindle bearing for replacement or repair. Without removing the spindle, each bushing may be adjusted, ample space being afforded for access thereto between the sector-shaped longitudinal bars 7 of the turret. The spindle itself is firmly Each of the spindles consists of a tube or held against axial movement in either direction, the adjustment of the screws 38 causing the whole spindle to'be moved endwise until shoulders, so that it may be inserted endw-ise \it is firmly held with its head in engagement into the bushings in which it is journaled. The spindle is held against longitudinal rearward thrusts by two washers 30, 31, interposed between the head and the forward end face of the turret, one of these washers 31 being secured to the head by the pin 32,

and the other to the turret bythe pin 33.

' Each spindle is held against longitudinal movement in, the other direction by a gear 34 which is secured thereto by a pin 35, said gear bearing against the end of the associated sleeve 21, located in the rear of the front disk, through the medium of a' washer 36. At the'head ends of the spindles, the sleeves 21 have plane ends, whereas the sleeves, which are connected'to the other end of the turret, have bonnets 37 with a rotatable and sliding on the spindle to pre vent access of dust or foreign materialto the threads of the sleeve and the bushing. To

prevent any end play of the spindle, abutment screws 38 are passed through the gear 34 in a direction parallel with its .axis and having their ends in engagement with the washers 36 hearing against the plane ends of the sleeves 21. After adjustment, each screw may be locked in place by a lock-nut 39. Through the front end of the turret, there is passed a sleeve or bushing 40 coaxial with the turret, andhaving a circumferential flange 41 abuttin against the front face of the turret. This %ushing is held against rotation'by a pin 42 lying in a groove 43. Within the bushing is journaled a shaft section 44, which at its front .end is so formed as to be capable of being coupled to another and the parts that are carried thereby are shown in section, it is unnecessary to describe these parts in detail as they are well known, except tostate that the stock-feeding sleeve is indicated at 50 and the chuck-operating sleeve is indicated at 51.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that each spindle may 'be easily re,

moved from its hearing by removing the pin the turret.

with the collar 31. I consider the provision of the inwardly projecting annular extensions 16 of the turret bearings as advantageous for the reason that I am thereby enabled to secure a relatively long support ings taper outwardly in opposite directions,

and are located was to be accessible between the ends of the turret; and a further advantage '1s that the means for adjusting the bushings, including the threaded sleeves 21 1 and the clamps 24, are located between the ends of the turret where they are non-obtrusive and yet are easily accessible through 2 the spaces between the longitudinal bars of The bushings are adjustable without in any manner affecting the adjustment of the spindles, which is a decided advantage,especially as no end thrust is exerted upon the bushings by the spindles, the bushings serving to resist lateral thrusts only. The main body portion of the turret is much larger in diameter than the bearings therefor, and, by providing the spaced longitudinal bars 7, 7, relatively large gears for driving the spindles may be employed. The turret is therefore light in weight but without sacrificing any support for the spindles or the bushings.

It will be understood, of course, that the spindle-bearingbushings may be rovided with apertures for conveying oil rom the lubricant-space to the spindle, and that suitable conduits for conducting lubricant through the body of the turret to said lubricant spaces are provided.

Having thus explained the nature of my said invention and described a way of making and. using the same, although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes pered bushings fitting complemental aper-.

tures in said ends and having cylindrical bores, and spindles having cylindrical portions journaled in said bushings.

2. The combination with a turret having spaced ends, said ends being provided with frusto-conical apertures tapering toward the outer end faces of the turret, of complementally tapered bushings located in said apertures and having cylindrical bores, cylindrical spindles journaled in said bushings, and means located between said turret ends for adjusting said bushings axially.

3. The combination of a turret comprising spaced disks having oppositely and ,outwardly tapering bearings with inwardly projecting annular extensions or flanges, tapered bushings having cylindrical bores located in said bearings and held against rotation therein, and spindles j ournaled in said bushings.

4. The combination with a turret comprising end disks, longitudinal spaced bars connecting the said disks, said disks having apertures between said bars which taper toward the outer end faces of said disks, and inwardly projecting annular flanges encircling said apertures, of oppositely tapered bushings located in said apertures, and spindles journaled in said bushings.

5. The combination of a turret having spaced end disks provided with apertures tapering toward the outer faces of said disks, oppositely tapered bushings located in said apertures and held a ainst rotation therein. rotatable threaded seeves located between the end disks and respectively bearing there'- against and in threaded engagement with said bushings to effect the longitudinal adjustment thereof when said sleeves are r0- tated independently of the spindles herein mentioned, means for holding said sleeves against axial movement, and spindles journaled in said bushings.

6. The combination of spaced bearing frames; a turret comprising spaced end disks and parallel longitudinal bars connecting peripheral portions of said disks, each disk having an outwardly-projecting diametrically-reduced journal located in said frame; work spindles located within alined aper tures in said end disks and.projecting beyond said bearing frames, and tapered bushings for the spindles located in complemental apertures each in said end disks, the bushin s carried by each disk tapering toward t e outer end face thereof.

7. The combination with a turret having end disks and spaced frusto-conical spindlereceiving apertures therein, of work spindles and bushings, in said apertures and in which said spindles are journaled, each bushing having circumferential notched tapef flanges and each being longitudinally sp 1t.

8. The combination with a turret having end disks provided with tapering spaced spindle-receiving apertures, taper bushings located in said apertures, a sleeve having a threaded engagement with the larger end of each bushing and abutting against one of the end disks, a clamp engaging said sleeve, and with said disk holding said sleeve against axial movement while permitting it to rotate, and means for securing said clamp to said end disk.

9. The combination with a turret having In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

FRANK L. CONE. 

